Design Inaugural Exhibitions for Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino

The solicitation seeks a contractor to design the inaugural exhibitions for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Latino, with a strict minimum requirement that offerors must demonstrate prior experience designing at least three museum exhibitions of similar scale and complexity, each with a footprint of at least 35,000 square feet, and at least one exceeding 45,000 square feet. These projects must have integrated physical artifacts, images, and multimedia content, and at least one must be fully fabricated and completed; subcontractor work does not count toward this threshold. The museum is defined as a nonprofit institution using historical artifacts or living collections to create educational, participatory experiences. Offerors must also show proven collaboration with multidisciplinary teams including curators, scientists, educators, engineers, fabricators, and media producers. Proposals must be submitted by May 18, 2026, as two distinct PDF files—one technical and one commercial—with the technical proposal beginning with a clear demonstration of compliance with the minimum requirement. The narrative for the exhibit design approach is limited to 2,500 words, excluding visuals. All submissions must be emailed to Debra Berke, and offerors are required to confirm delivery and readability before the deadline, with no extensions permitted. The contract is a firm-fixed-price arrangement structured around a base bid for familiarization and concept design, with optional phases tied to percentages of fabrication costs, though exact pricing remains to be determined at award. The place of performance is Washington, D.C., and all work must adhere to Smithsonian-specific design, accessibility, security, and conservation guidelines, including compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards and Section 508. Contractors must be currently registered in SAM.gov with an active UEI and CAGE code, and registration must be maintained through contract execution and performance, with SAM registration required no later than August 15, 2026. The Smithsonian prohibits the use of its name or logo without prior written approval, forbids the use of generative AI with Smithsonian-provided content, and requires full flow-down of all special contract requirements to subcontractors. Performance is evaluated using a best-value trade-off approach, prioritizing technical merit—including exhibit design approach, management plan, firm profile, and past performance—over cost, and the contract allows for termination for default if there is failure to disclose organizational conflicts of interest, use of prohibited foreign entities, or breaches of confidentiality, civility, or ethical standards. All deliverables are subject to